


Bedlam Boys

by Krit



Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux, Sidewinder Series - Abigail Roux
Genre: Anal Sex, Breathplay, Consensual Non-Consent, Fisting, Gen, Irish Mob, Light BDSM, M/M, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Book 9: Crash & Burn, Post-Canon, Post-Part & Parcel, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:14:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27351037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krit/pseuds/Krit
Summary: Nick accepts an offer he once refused.
Relationships: Julian Cross/Cameron Jacobs, Kelly Abbott/Nick O'Flaherty, Liam Bell/Preston
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

Nick didn’t give much thought to Kelly’s instant acceptance of Nick’s parentage. Not at first. That’s just how Kelly was. Roll with the punches. Unconditional loyalty. It didn’t come up again until a few months later when they were planning the wedding. 

  


“So, you never answered me.” Kelly said, not looking up from the notebook he was working on. 

  


“About what?” Nick was grateful for the distraction until Kelly clarified. 

  


“Are we inviting your father to the wedding? Do we _have_ to? Should we _not_? I’m trying to pin down a guest list. I mean, I’d really rather have him than your mom or your youngest sisters there. But it’s up to you. You never told me what the etiquette is here.”

  


Nick stared at him for a moment. “Twenty years.” He said in awe. “Nearly twenty years I’ve known you, and you never stop surprising me.”

  


“What? He’s your father. He clearly loves you. That was obvious enough before I knew he was your real dad. But I know the situation is complicated, and I’m not familiar with the culture, so it’s up to you.”

  


“Did you mean what you said, before?” Nick cocked his head, studying Kelly’s face. “If I decided to reconnect with my father and take over the family business... you’d be okay with that?”

  


“Of course.” Kelly reached over and took Nick’s hand in his own. “We’re a team. I’ve got your back. If you think it’s the right move, I’ll make it with you.”

  


“Do _you_ think it’s the right move?”

  


“I think a man like you could do a lot of good in a position like that.”

  


“Lemme talk to him about the wedding. It _would_ be nice to have him there. Ma’s not invited anyway, and I don’t think Ness and Lana would even wanna come.” He took a deep breath and squeezed his hand. “Lemme talk to him.”

  


“Whatever you chose. I’ll back your play. Always.”

  


~*~

  


He talked to Kat and Erin first. Any decision he made would effect them. 

  


“You think Paddy doesn’t already have eyes on us?” Kat scoffed, sipping her coffee as she rolled her eyes. “ _Please_.”

  


“What do you _mean_ ‘eyes on you’?”

  


Erin shrugged and picked at her breakfast. “Nothing big. Pretty sure word is out not to fuck with us or the little ones. You _know_ I sing at The Liberty sometimes. You can’t tell me you didn’t know I’ve met the guy.”

  


“I mean, yeah, but...”

  


“It’s not like protection or favors or anything. He told me if the kids ever needed work in the future there’s a place for them. Even honest work if they didn’t wanna get involved in anything.”

  


Nick gawked at Kat and shook his head. “How is this the first I’m hearing of any of this?”

  


“I don’t know if you know this, but... you’re kind of neurotic.” Erin told him plainly. “We sort of figured you’d freak out.”

  


“Should we tell him Paddy checked in on us and offered help when he was overseas?” Kat pondered, acting as though Nick wasn’t there. 

  


“I don’t know. He might take that as well as hearing what _I_ told Paddy.” Erin mused, playing along. 

  


“I’m sorry, _what?!_ What’s happening? What happened? What are you talking about?!” Nick looked back and forth between the two women. 

  


Every once in a while, it truly hit him that they were grown adults capable of handling their own lives. It’ wasn’t that he didn’t respect or have faith in them. It was just, they were his baby sisters, and he always took care of them. Always remembered them as tiny little things. 

  


But Kat had a husband and three kids of her own. And Erin put her ex boyfriend in the hospital the first and only time he raised a hand to her. Whatever fire and steel that made Brian O’Flaherty an abusive monster, had made his daughters indomitable forces of nature. 

  


Kat patted his arm in mock comfort. “After he dropped you off at the airport, he came round the house and told us that if Dad stepped out of line, to just give him a call.” 

  


Erin smirked and raised her coffee mug to her lips. “And _I_ told _him_ that if that happened, I’d just slit the bastard’s throat in his sleep, myself.” Her voice was nonchalant and sweet as she sipped her tea, lips still upturned as Nick stared at her, jaw dropped. 

  


“He nodded, said ‘Fair enough’, and told us to hold onto his number if we needed anything.” Kat shrugged, both of them looking at him like nothing they were saying was out of the ordinary. Normal family brunch conversation. 

  


“So. If I were to...” He huffed out a laugh. “It wouldn’t even phase you, would it?”

  


“Not really.” 

  


“All I ask is that if any of my kids _do_ find their way into that world, you keep their hands clean.” 

  


“Of course!” Nick sighed and rubbed his face. “Am I _seriously_ considering this?”

  


“You do what’s right by you. We’ll do the same.”

  


~*~

  


Nick savored the surprise on Paddy’s face for a moment, as he stood at his front door. It was nice. He was allowed to enjoy it. 

  


“Hey da.” He said casually, managing not to laugh as Paddy’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “Can I come in? I’d like to talk.”

  


Paddy chuckled and shook his head before nodding and stepping aside, waving him in. “So. What can I do for ya, Nicky? Coffee? Tea?”

  


“Tea would be great, thanks.” Nick kept his voice light and the smile on his face. Paddy’s house hadn’t changed much in the two decades since he’d been in it last. And he remembered the way to the kitchen. 

  


“Am I to assume you’re here to talk business?” Paddy asked, trying to grab the reigns of the conversation before Nick took them right back. 

  


“No, actually, I’m here to see if you wanna come to my wedding.” He sat down at the kitchen table with a crooked grin that he knew he’d inherited from the man in front of him. 

  


“You’re getting married?!” Paddy smacked his hand on the counter excitedly. “That’s wonderful! Is it that stocky boy with the pretty eyes that you brought round the hotel? Had a girl’s name, didn’t he? I remember that much. One of your Recon buddies or some such.” 

  


Nick chuckled and licked his lips, impressed that Paddy retained all that. And a little marveled at his acceptance of Nick marrying a man. But Nick knew how much family meant to Paddy. Knew how much losing his first son hurt him. Knew how much he truly cared about Nick. Maybe this would be just a little easier than he’d worried. A little. 

  


“Yeah. Kelly. Force Recon Navy corpsman.”

  


“That’s the medics, right?”

  


“A bit more than that. But yeah. He’s our doc.” Nick beamed with pride. 

  


“You love him?”

  


“Yes.”

  


“Well then. I’d be honored to be there.” He placed a mug of tea in front of Nick and sat at the table across from him with his own. “And am I to understand that you want me there... as your father?”

  


“If that offer is still on the table.”

  


“The _whole_ offer?”

  


“All of it.” 

  


“And your man? He know what he’d be getting into?”

  


“Probably not.” Nick laughed. “But that’s how he is. The leap without looking type. But he trusts me. And he’s got my back.”

  


“That’s a good man.”

  


“The best.” Nick’s smile softened. There was something about it all. Talking about his fiancé with his father over tea. Something so domestic. Comfortable. He liked this. 

  


“I’m glad for you.” Paddy nodded, his own smile genuine. “Love like that. _Loyalty_ like that. It don’t come easy. I don’t think I ever had that. Not Junior’s mother. Sure as hell not your mother. Been married three times, and had a string of girlfriends. I don’t think a single one of em ever looked at me the way that man looked at you that night.”

  


“That’s how he _always_ looks at me.” Nick grinned as Paddy huffed and waved his hand. 

  


“Yeah yeah. Rub it in, why don’t ya?” They both laughed. 

  


It was the beginning of something. He still wasn’t sure how it would all go. But the start was so easy. 

  


Like he was born for it. 

  


~*~

  


“So, I have a hypothetical question for you.”

  


Nick could hear Ty’s exhausted sigh through the phone. “Right. Hypothetical. Rhetorical. Not based in any kind of reality. Nothing to do with any actual situation. Total fantasy thought exercise. Please do ask me this completely random question.”

  


“Right. So. Say for example.. I decided... to join the Irish mafia in Boston. What kind of impact would that have, on our friendship that means everything to me, that we fought so hard to salvage?”

  


The silence wasn’t exactly encouraging, but Ty was still on the line. So Nick gave him a minute. He knew that Ty had to have considered the possibilities since Nick told them about Paddy in the first place. But now that it was an actuality, he had to reassess. 

  


“I think if I have as few details of your _professional life_ as possible, and you only call on me to intervene as a last resort... I mean, I’ll be there if you need me, you know that. But like... I can accept your life choices best if I don’t have to interact with them.”

  


“Hm. That’s fair. I can respect that, and adhere to those terms. Addendum. _If_ there were Irish mobsters _at_ my wedding. _Would_ you still be my best man?”

  


There was that sigh again. Nick struggled not to laugh. 

  


“I mean, _obviously_!” He huffed. “And I’m not even a fed anymore. I don’t think the CIA gives a fuck, or at least, _I_ don’t have to. So long as the bachelor party and the wedding don’t involve flagrant extreme criminal activity. I mean, _somebody_ around here needs to have death-free nuptials. How are we _doing_ the bachelor party, anyway? Parties? Oh god, are the others gonna take Kelly out for fun, and I’m gonna have to go with you and your mob buddies to some weird underworld strip club casino?! We’re almost forty, Nick, we’re too old to be catching herpies!”

  


Nick finally laughed, relieved that Ty was being himself about it all. “No. We’re all gonna spend the evening at The Liberty, all classy and respectful, with a dress code and no herpies. And then Kelly is gonna get a room there with Owen and Digger, and you and Zane are gonna come back to The Fiddler with me. We wanna do the whole, ‘not seeing each other until the ceremony’ thing.”

  


“That’s gonna be about eight hours of hell for both of you, you know that.” Ty chuckled. 

  


“Yeah, it’s gonna suck. But it’s gonna be a great moment at the church.”

  


“Is your church really willing to do a gay wedding? Your hardcore Irish Catholic Church?”

  


“You know Massachusetts was the _first_ state to legalize this, right? Yeah, there’s a lot of churches that are against it, but they’re very loud about it and easy to avoid. _My_ church is incredibly progressive.”

  


“So it’s gonna be the whole Catholic service with all the bells and whistles, then?”

  


“I mean, we’re gonna simplify some of it. Kelly’s not really religious, so those aspects are all up to me.”

  


“Are you gonna do suits or your dress uniforms?”

  


“Still haven’t made a decision there.”

  


“You even pick a date yet?”

  


“We’ve narrowed it down to early next August.”

  


“Well, we have to give the company notice if we’re going to be out of town, so once you narrow it down to the week, let us know. Do you need help planning?”

  


“You _eloped_.”

  


“Yeah, after a year of trying to plan an actual wedding.”

  


“Which you _failed_ to do.”

  


“Yeah, we can save you a lot of time.”

  


Nick laughed, shaking his head. What the hell had he been so worried about?

  


“I’ll let you know if we get stuck.”

  


“Hey... I’m really happy for you guys. You know that, right? And if this..... career move is what you think is best for you... I love you enough, I can disapprove _and_ be proud of you at the same time, okay? And you deserve to have a father you can have a good relationship with. So. Ya know. I’m happy for you.”

  


“Thanks man. I love you too.”

  


~*~

  


“What in the hell do _you_ want?” 

  


“Please don’t hang up! I have an offer for you!”

  


Nick knew that getting ahold of Julian _at all_ would be difficult, and he was frankly amazed the man even answered the phone. 

  


“I’m sorry. But my brother’s face is still healing from your last _offer_.”

  


“To be fair, Preston’s involvement in Miami was not my doing. But I _am_ sorry. So. How ‘ _out’_ of the life are the three of you?”

  


“Cameron was never involved-“

  


“Can we skip the part where I pretend not to know that Liam is with you?”

  


“We’re all taking some time off.”

  


“How would you like some permanence and security in your lives?”

  


“Only _some_?”

  


“Well. I _am_ asking you to join the mafia, after all.”

  


“Ah. Does this have anything to do with that man we went to see, who was very obviously your real father?”

  


Nick choked out a surprised laugh. “Yes. Yes it does.”

  


“I see. And would we be working for _him_ , or for _you_?”

  


“ _Me_. I need my own men. Ones I _know_ I can trust.”

  


“In that case, I’ll talk to the others. When do you need an answer.”

  


“We’re sending you invitations to the wedding. It’s in a few months. I’m officially joining the business when we get back from the honeymoon.”

  


“Understood. Until then. Give my love to your fiancé, and my contempt to your best friend.”

  


Nick laughed again, shaking his head at the smile he could hear in the other man’s voice. “Thank you, Julian. For hearing me out at least. My best to Cameron. And I’m glad Preston is alright.”

  


~*~

  


Things were moving quickly. And far more easily than he’d expected. Paddy and Mikey had been filling him in on some things, what had changed over the past twenty years. 

  


He wasn’t _officially involved_ yet. But they’d started acknowledging that he was Paddy’s true son. It was a way of testing the waters. Putting it out casually, seeing who had what to say about it. 

  


No one had heard anything at all from his mother or the younger girls. Probably for the best, for all their sakes. 

  


He and Kelly didn’t go out much, but they didn’t hide away either. The local mood seemed positive. A lot more people remembered Nick from his teen years than he’d expected. And more still, knew his reputation as a cop. Nick had managed to keep his nose clean on both sides of the fence, and didn’t have anything in the way of enemies where he now needed allies. 

  


He could hear his name being shouted from the dock. He had been dreading this conversation the most. He headed out and forced a blank face as he greeted his former partner. 

  


“Morning, Alan. How ya been?”

  


“Don’t give me that shit, O’Flaherty.” Hagan growled, and then scoffed. “Do I even still call you that, now?”

  


“It’s my name.” 

  


“I couldn’t hear about this shit from _you_?”

  


“No. You couldn’t.” Nick sighed and shook his head. “You think people weren’t watching your reaction? Wanting to know if I was dirty all that time, or if I’m pulling something now? It needed to be obvious that you didn’t know anything. And that this is what it is.”

  


“And what _is it_ , exactly?”

  


Nick shrugged. “A career change? Claiming a birthright, if you wanna get dramatic about it.”

  


“I’ll show you fucking dramatic.” Hagan grumbled, and slowly deflated. “I allowed to still have a beer with you?”

  


Nick smiled, relief flooding through him. “Yeah, I suppose. They managed to keep their business from being my business for a decade. I can extend you the same courtesy. I stay off your desk, you stay off mine?”

  


“Sounds reasonable.”

  


“Then nobody’s gonna really blink _too_ hard if we’re still friendly. They’ll be watching us, I can guarantee that. But a drink in public now and then between old friends? Don’t see why not. I know less reputable men on both sides who get away with more.”

  


A small smile spread over Hagan’s face. “Then get your shoes and come buy me a beer.”


	2. Chapter 2

  


It was surreal. Mikey had been his best friend through childhood. Then high school. They stayed in touch while he was in the Corp. But when he became a cop, their conversations became fewer and further between. They just had less and less in common. Less they could even talk about. 

  


But now... it was like he was a teenager again. Him and Mikey. The city. And no secrets now. Their friendship even stronger than it had been twenty years ago. 

  


Most folks pegged Mikey as a moron. Figured he was as high up as he was because he was good muscle. Which he was, fair enough. 

  


But Mikey was smart. A lot smarter than most folks knew. He was a dense motherfucker with limited people skills, who barely managed to graduate high school, even with Nick helping him study _and_ letting him cheat off him. But he was street smart. And he knew the business. 

  


Not the numbers or any of that. But the flow of it. The logic and the ins and outs of how things ran smoothest. Knew what to do and what not. Knew who to avoid, and who to suck up to, and who to piss off. 

  


And that was the foundation of ‘Mikey & Nicky BFFs’. They were both survivalists. 

  


“You gotta be ready-“

  


Mikey started most sentences that way these days. Some might call him paranoid or neurotic, but Nick just saw him as prepared. Nick was a former cop, and a bisexual man with a male partner. A partner who, technically, wasn’t exactly completely white. While his father and Mikey, and really a small handful of folks, were smart enough to not care about that... there were _a lot_ of people who would use it against him. Already were. 

  


But the thing about Mikey? When people think you’re stupid, there’s a whole lot they’ll be willing to say around you. Thinking you don’t understand, or know what to do with the information you get. 

  


But Mikey wasn’t stupid. Not when it counted. Not when it came to taking names of those that had a _problem_ with Nick being more visible in his family. The whispers and rumors of him coming in on Paddy’s business had already started. And Mikey was chumming the waters to see who took the bait. 

  


Most of those that had a problem with Nick were low level thugs whose opinion on anything didn’t matter. And most of the ones who _were_ important in any way _and_ took issue with his biography, shrugged it off like they did any powerful man’s indiscretions. Didn’t care he used to be a cop, so long as he wasn’t screwing them over _now_. Didn’t care he was queer, so long as he kept it behind closed doors, and still fit the rest of their definition of what a man should be. 

  


Kelly himself, was the wild card. Mikey knew it. Paddy knew it. Nick knew it. 

  


“Does he understand his place in all this?”

  


“Not completely. But he’s willing to learn. Figure it out as he goes.”

  


“You got a good man, Nicky. A little too good, maybe.”

  


“What’s that supposed to mean?”

  


“He might not like a lotta what comes next. The things you’ll have to do. The things he’ll have to put up with.”

  


“He’s accepted worse, for less.”

  


“Yeah, you make sure he remembers that. And just... I’ve seen a lotta guys loose their girls because of the job. One thing I noticed? Make sure he never forgets two things.”

  


“What’s that?”

  


“One? That you love him more than anything. And two? That you’re still the man _he_ loves.”

  


“That’s deep, Mike. Especially for you.”

  


“Hey, I’m just pointing out a pattern. Every single one of these girls that’s cracked? ‘You don’t care about me’ and ‘You ain’t the man I married’ came outta every single one of their mouths.”

  


“Hell of a pattern. Thanks Mikey. Hey, do me a favor? You notice me making the same mistakes those assholes did? Remind me?”

  


“You got it, Nicky. Like I said. You got a good man. I won’t pretend I understand the whole queer thing. But I know somethin solid when I see it. Hate to see ya fuck it up.”

  


~*~

  


“You want the color scheme to be red white and blue?” Erin’s lips pursed as she raised a judgmental eyebrow at her brother and future-brother-in-law. 

  


“Not in an obnoxious way.” Nick insisted. “But we’ll both be in our dress blues, and it’s a good combination. I’m thinking _mostly_ blue, with _some_ white, and like, a _little_ bit of red.” He looked over at Kelly to make sure they were on the same page. 

  


“Yeah. And the fact that it’s also the Red Sox color scheme is pure coincidence.” He added wryly. “But yeah. It’s for the whole Marines and Navy theme. Sure.” He grinned and Nick threw a pen at his head. 

  


“Alright, so, what shade of blue?” Kat sighed as they both stared at her incredulously. “Come on guys. I know there’s a million details that you think don’t-“

  


“That’s not it.” Nick cut her off. “I just... it’s.... we’re talking about having the color scheme match our uniforms.”

  


“Yeah?”

  


“As in, the official color scheme of the Navy.”

  


“Yeah.”

  


“And you’re asking what shade of blue it should be?”

  


“Yeah. I don’t know the name of the specific shade, and I can’t just put down ‘dark blue’.”

  


“You’re asking us, out loud, because you don’t know, what _shade of blue **The Navy**_ uses. That’s what you’re asking?”

  


“ _Yes!_ ” 

  


Kelly tried very hard not to burst out laughing as Kat and Nick stared at each other, the looks on both their faces making it clear that each thought the other was insane. 

  


“Katherine. Honey.” Erin gasped, also failing not to laugh at her sister. “It’s navy blue.”

  


“There! Thank you! Was that so-“ Kat stopped and stared at the words she had just written down, and placed her pen and notebook on the table. “It’s possible that I’m a little tired.” She admitted softly. 

  


“So!” Erin chirped happily. “White chrysanthemums and red roses sound good? And I’m thinking blue table cloths.”

  


“Yes! We were thinking... elegant but simple.” Kelly and Erin took over sorting out the decorations, while Kat and Nick moved on to the food and drinks. 

  


Kelly had been married before, but hadn’t really had much involvement in planning any of it. It was a lot more fun than his ex-wife had made it seem. 

  


“It’s all about whether you care about perfection.” Kat had told him. “If you accept that you can’t control every detail of every aspect of everything, it becomes a lot more fun.”

  


“Was your wedding perfect?” He asked. 

  


“God no!” She laughed. “But then, also yes. The things that mattered were perfect because I didn’t care about the things that didn’t.”

  


“I’m marrying the love of my life in front of all our family.” He said quietly, with a soft smile on his face.

  


“Exactly.” She grinned at him as Nick leaned over and pressed a firm kiss to his cheek. 

  


~*~

  


After they hugged, Ty leaned back, and squinted, holding Nick’s arms as he studied his face. “Well. You don’t _look_ any different yet. Is your hair longer?”

  


“I’m growing it out.” Nick smiled. 

  


“I love it!” Kelly beamed. “It’s getting curly! Did you know his hair was curly?”

  


They all piled into Nick’s car as he drove them back from the air port. Zane seemed to be leading the conversation, not letting Ty drag them off topic. Nick was grateful for that. He knew Ty was uneasy about all this. But once they got settled in, and he met Mikey, and saw that nothing was really gonna change, he’d be fine. 

  


Nick didn’t know if Ty and Mikey were gonna like each other. But they were probably gonna enjoy messing with each other. He wondered how long it would take for each of them to realize the other was messing right back. 

  


~*~

  


Apparently, the answer was “Five minutes”. But at least they were having a good time. 

  


“Do you know my favorite thing about being sober?” Zane asked Nick, who was sipping his fifth beer of the night. 

  


“Not turning into Mr Hyde?” Nick asked him teasingly. 

  


“Being able to fully appreciate the beautiful stupidity of drunk people.” He gestured with his soda to the table nearby, where Owen and Mikey were arm wrestling. Apparently, they were competing for the title of ‘Token Straight Guy’, and there weren’t any rules. Evidenced by Mikey using his other hand for leverage, and Owen repeatedly kicking him under the table. 

  


“Loser has to give me a lap dance!” Nick called out, grinning as Owen began kicking harder, and Mikey bit Owen’s wrist. 

  


“Isn’t this supposed to be a classy joint?” Digger mused as Ty and Kelly each cheered for the man they’d bet on. 

  


“Yeah, but it’s still Boston. They’re fine.” Nick assured him. “This is tame for a bachelor party.”

  


“So you’re saying we should liven it up a bit?” Digger’s smile was almost terrifying. 

  


“I’m not shedding glitter onto my dress blues tomorrow!” Kelly insisted. 

  


“Didn’t you wear the white one at your last wedding?”

  


“Yes.” Kelly groaned. “Madeline said the white uniform made me look dignified.”

  


“It made you look like a 1950s ice cream man.”

  


“I know!”

  


“That’s the ex-wife?” Mikey asked as he tried to gain more leverage in the competition by standing up. 

  


“Yeah. I don’t know what I was thinking. She had all these plans and ideas that seemed great, and then looking back... she was just psycho, ya know? I don’t think _she_ even knew what she was talking about.”

  


“She was holding you back.” Owen added, prying Mikey’s fingers off their clasped hands. “You definitely traded up.”

  


“That I did!” Kelly grinned, digging his fingers into Nick’s hair and pulling him in for a filthy kiss. 

  


Owen ended up winning the arm wrestling match. 

  


“I don’t actually have to- I mean, that was just a joke. Right? Right, Nicky?!” Mikey was pale as a ghost, and Nick shrugged. 

  


“Rules are rules, Mikey.”

  


“I would’ve man up and done it if I’d lost.” Owen goaded. 

  


“Well, right there, don’t ya see?!” Mikey exclaimed. “Being less willing to give my buddy a lap dance makes _me_ the straightest of the straight guys. So, I should win!”

  


“He kinda has a point.” Ty admitted, looking at Mikey with no small amount of awe. 

  


In the end, _Kelly_ gave Nick a lap dance. A short one, that the others put a stop to before they got too raunchy for a public setting. 

  


~*~

  


Separating Nick and Kelly at the end of the night was just as difficult as they all knew it would be. 

  


“This was your idea!”

  


“I know!”

  


“You don’t actually have to do it. You can just go up to the room or back to The Fiddler together.”

  


“No, we wanna do it!”

  


“Okay, so, let’s go.”

  


“Nooooo.”

  


They kissed twice more before finally allowing their friends to drag them apart in opposite directions. Zane drove Nick and Ty back to the boat. Nick informed them that he had soundproofed the cabins, and then passed out in bed. He was grateful that he fell asleep so quickly. He hated not having Kelly next to him. 

  


~*~ 

  


Kelly woke to Owen and Digger standing next to his bed, grinning. One handed him a cup of coffee and the other a breakfast sandwich. 

  


“Morning Doc. Ready to get married?” 

  


It had been a long time since his last wedding. But he knew for sure that he hadn’t been this excited. As they got dressed, Kelly studied himself in the mirror. 

  


“Why do I feel like I’m forgetting something? What am I forgetting?”

  


“How should we know? Completely different uniform, dude. These are snazzy though.” 

  


They had decided to put the groomsmen in navy blue tuxes. It would’ve looked too jumbled to have four of them in one uniform, Kelly in a different one, and Zane in a suit or tux. He and Nick had also decided against wearing any of their medals or ribbons. Maybe that’s what looked off. 

  


There was a knock at the door, and Preston walked in, black suit and blue tie, hair perfectly sleeked back. The bullet graze scar across the side of his neck was barely visible, and the burn scars on his face did nothing to diminish his striking appearance. 

  


“Everyone ready to go?” He asked, with a small smile. 

  


“That depends.” Digger grumbled. “You gonna drive the same way you did in Miami?”

  


Preston chuckled and winked at him. “I doubt the occasion will call for it. I might even stick to the speed limit.”

  


“Halle-fucking-lujah.” Owen muttered.

  


Preston walked up to Kelly and straightened his collar, smiling warmly. “Ready, sailor?” He asked quietly. 

  


“Definitely!”

  


~*~

  


Nick had spent much of the morning nervous about the fact that he wasn’t nervous. When they got to the church, he let Erin fuss with his hair as Kat and Zane made sure everything was in order. 

  


“The Gradys are here!” Zane announced cheerfully. “As is Mr Whelan.” His voice became a little strained, though his voice didn’t waver. “Earl and Paddy are... sharing ‘Nam stories.” 

  


Nick and Ty stared at him for a moment. 

  


“They’re getting along?” Ty finally asked. 

  


“They were laughing, last I checked.” Zane shrugged. 

  


“I didn’t know Paddy was in ‘Nam.”

  


“Yeah.” The corner of Nick’s mouth twitched, smiling slightly. “He’s a Marine.”

  


~*~

  


The idea not to see each other until the ceremony had been one of the best ones they’d ever had. Nick took Kelly’s hands in his as they stared at each other, wet eyes and wide smiles. Less than twelve hours apart, and seeing each other again had them both overjoyed. 

  


They wrote their own vows, but kept them short and simple. It wasn’t about words. They were men of action. Their relationship was quiet and physical. 

  


As they kissed, it felt like the most obvious next step in their story. Inevitable from the moment they met. This was where they were always headed. They were exactly where they were supposed to be. 

  


~*~

  


The dining hall at The Liberty was decked out beautifully. The food was delicious, and there was an open bar. For their first dance, Ty sang Fiddler’s Green.

  


Erin’s band did the majority of the music, though they’d managed to convince Ty to do a handful of songs with them, and had a backup DJ so Erin could enjoy the party. 

  


The handful of children in attendance ran about the room, weaving around the adults, shrieking with laughter and talking over each other. Whenever they became too rowdy, a loud whistle from Kat or a sharp word from Earl, had them back down to a respectable level. 

  


Everyone was dancing and laughing, and having a wonderful time. Kelly used to dream about this. He had always wanted a big family. People to call his own. A place he belonged. ‘Home is where the heart is’, that was the cliche. As Kelly looked at Nick -his home, his heart, his life- he truly understood the sentiment. 

  


This was his home. This was his family. And whatever came next, they would face together. 

  


~*~

  


The night wound down, and folks turned in, smiles and hugs, and words of congratulations. Earl squeezed Nick tight and chuckled. 

  


“I’m happy for you, son. Don’t think for a minute that Mara doesn’t still expect you to come round the house now and then. I image you’ll be busy more often than not, but don’t you forget where we live, ya hear?”

  


“Yes, sir!” Nick grinned. 

  


“That father of yours.... he’s not half bad. Well, maybe half. But I definitely like him better than the last one.”

  


“Yeah, me too.”

  


“Just keep your eyes open and your head clear. I won’t pretend I’m happy about your new career. But a man like you could do a lot of good.”

  


“That’s what Kelly said.” 

  


“Just so long as you stay a good man. Understand?”

  


“Yes sir.” 

  


Mara gave him three hugs, and at least as many kisses to his cheek. She was smiling brightly, eyes wet with joyful tears, and cheeks rosy with champagne. 

  


“I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.” She told him, not letting him up from a fourth hug. 

  


“Thanks ma.” 

  


“And thank you for having a normal wedding.”

  


“You’re welcome.” He laughed, patting her arm. 

  


“With no murders.”

  


“Well, there’s still the honeymoon.” He stoped trying to get away, and hugged her again. 

  


“That I was actually invited to.”

  


“Of course.”

  


“It was beautiful.”

  


“Thank you.”

  


“I love you both so much.”

  


“We love you too.”

  


“You’re my favorite, you know.”

  


“Hey!” He heard Deuce cry out as Ty let out a bark of laughter.

  


“Alright, Mara.” Earl gently pried her off of him. “Let the boy go enjoy his wedding night, and we’ll grab some of those pastries on the way back to the room.”

  


“Oh, those were good!” She reluctantly let go with one more kiss, and allowed her husband to lead her away. “Our babies are all grown up!” She told him, mournfully. 

  


As the boys watched them head off, Deuce scoffed angrily. “Why are _you_ the favorite?!”

  


“Ty eloped, and _multiple_ people were murdered at _your_ wedding.”

  


“Half of them by _you_!”

  


“Still, though.”

  


“Alright, alright!” Kelly exclaimed, pulling Nick’s arm. “As it was just pointed out, this is my wedding night. I would like to spend the rest of it with my husband.” His heart raced as he said the word. “In private. Alone. In our hotel room.” He grinned. “Naked.”

  


“Yes, Kelly, we get it! Go boink your husband!” 

  


Zane laughed as Ty pretended to gag. They said goodnight to everyone still there, and encouraged them to continue taking advantage of the room and refreshments. A few people were still dancing. Erin was sprawled on one of the chairs with her bare feet on the table, and the microphone in her hand, crooning a ballad in Gaelic. 

  


Nick kissed the top of her head and told her to hold down the fort, before grabbing Kelly and hefting him over his shoulder, carrying him back to their room like a cheerful caveman. 

  


~*~

  


Kelly was almost laughing too hard to do anything when Nick threw him down on the bed of the Honeymoon suite. 

  


_Almost._

  


He sat up on the edge of the bed and grabbed Nick’s belt to pull him to stand between his legs. Nick’s fingers slipped into his hair as he looked down at him, green eyes bright with lust and devotion. 

  


“You know...” Kelly started, casually, holding Nick’s gaze as he undid the belt. “I may have been married before.” He undid the fly of Nick’s pants slowly. “But there’s lots of things I’ve never done.”

  


“Oh yeah?” Nick’s voice was already thick and rough, and Kelly shuddered as his fingers tightened, tugging at his hair. “Like what?”

  


“I’ve never given my husband a blowjob.” He smiled playfully, leaning in to nuzzle against the growing bulge in Nick’s pants, never breaking eye contact. “I’d very much like to change that.”

  


Nick growled so softly, it was practically a purr. He leaned over and grabbed the video camera off the nightstand. They both grinned as he turned it on, pointing it at Kelly. 

  


“Okay, baby. You made an honest man out of me today. Gonna take a lot of work to make me a filthy bastard again.”

  


His laughter quickly turned into a groan as Kelly freed him from his pants and took him deep into his throat. He rolled his hips, feeling his husband - _his husband!-_ swallow around the head. Kelly wavered back and forth between teasing, and trying to get him off as quickly as possible. Nick finally made the decision for him, and took over, coming down his throat after a few rough thrusts. 

  


Kelly pulled away, licking his lips happily but with a small pout. “You know.” He rasped. “I was kind of hoping you would fuck me.”

  


“Oh, I intend to.” Nick promised, stripping off his uniform, and helping Kelly peel his off. “The night is young, and I have _plans_ for you.”

  


Kelly shuddered, gasping softly as Nick manhandled him onto his stomach. “How do you always make me scared _and_ horny at the same time?”

  


“It’s a gift.” Nick laughed as he set up the camera on the nightstand. He situated himself between Kelly’s legs, and dragged his hands up his thighs, squeezing his ass before rubbing up his back and down again. “All mine now.” He murmured. 

  


“Always was.” Kelly assured him. “Now you just have it in writing.” He hummed happily as Nick leaned over him, tilting his head to kiss him sweetly. 

  


“I just bought it,” Nick told him, pressing another kiss under his ear. “Now I wanna break it.”

  


Kelly moaned and nodded, licking his lips as he clutched the pillow under his head. “Yes, please.” 

  


Nick grinned, pressing wet, biting kisses down his spine. When he made his way down to Kelly’s ass, he bit down on one cheek while delivering a sharp slap to the other. He would never get tired of the sounds he could get him to make. 

  


He pulled Kelly’s hips up a bit, and slipped his tongue between his cheeks, savoring the way he twitched and whimpered under him. 

  


He ate him out slowly, waiting until he was begging before pushing two fingers inside. They went easy, and both men groaned as Nick continued opening him up. The more Kelly begged him to go faster, harder, for more, Nick doubled down on taking his time. By the time he had four fingers buried inside him, Kelly was wailing his name like it was a prayer. 

  


“That’s it, baby.” Nick gasped, kissing the small of his back. “I got you. You’re all mine, and I’m gonna take you apart and put you back together. Are you gonna let me? Can you take it?”

  


“Yes!” Kelly cried out, trying to rock his hips back. “Please! I can take it. I _want_ it. Lemme have it, baby. You can do whatever you want to me, and you know I’ll fucking love it. Love you so much.”

  


A loud moan tore from Nick’s throat as he shifted up to kiss him again, wet and filthy, before adding a generous amount of more lube to the proceedings. He set the bottle aside and rubbed Kelly’s thigh and back with his free hand. He twisted his fingers inside of him gently, rubbing his thumb along the stretched entrance. 

  


“Are you ready? Breathe for me. Just like that.” He murmured soft encouragement as he pressed his thumb inside, his knuckles pushing against him slowly, moving as gently as he could. 

  


A keening sob poured from Kelly’s lips as he trembled, willing himself to breathe and stay still. He could barely think, overloaded with pleasure and sensation, and less pain than he would have thought, but just enough to burn and jolt in all the right places. 

  


Eventually, Nick’s entire hand was inside him, and there was not a single coherent thought in Kelly’s head other than Nick’s name. Which he may have been screaming. Or sobbing. He wasn’t sure. He could feel his body try to squeeze around his wrist, and felt a swell of pride at the broken moan it pulled from his husband. 

  


Nick struggled to keep himself steady. Kelly was so hot and tight and beautiful and perfect. It would be so easy to lose control. To lose himself in him. But that would make the risk of actually hurting him, harming him, too great. So he held on to his composure. 

  


Every sound that fell from Kelly’s lips was like water to a dying man. Every twitch of his fingers, ever shift of his hand, brought out the most intoxicating moans and whimpers, had him writhing and trembling. Nick kissed his back as his other hand stroked every inch of sweat damp skin. Soft and scarred, and beautiful, and _all his_. 

  


“So perfect.” He whispered reverently, fucking him slow and deep. “So beautiful. Look at you. You were made for this. Made for me.”

  


“Yours.” Kelly gasped. “Made for each other. Nick!”

  


“That’s right, baby. I’m yours, too.” He shifted his hand, rubbing the heel of his palm down hard against Kelly’s prostate, grinning against his skin as his husband screamed in pleasure. “Come on, Kels.” He growled. “Come for me. I’ve got you. Let go.”

  


Kelly did as he was told. As he shuddered and panted, Nick carefully slipped his hand away, and wiped them both down a bit before sliding up the bed to wrap his arms around him. Rolling him gently onto his side to hold him close, kissing his shoulder as they both caught their breath. 

  


As Kelly slowly came back to himself, he could feel Nick’s cock, hard and leaking, pressed against him. He shifted his hips, rubbing against him. Nick growled and pressed his teeth into his shoulder. 

  


“Come on, babe.” Kelly pleaded, voice horse and desperate as Nick shook his head. “Please? Need your cock inside me tonight. I want-“

  


“Later. We’ve got hours till morning.”

  


“But I- I know it’s probably not exactly very tight for you right now, but-“

  


Nick shushed him, squeezing him close as he kissed his jaw. “That’s not it.” He assured him. “There will never be a single moment when I don’t want to bury my cock inside you.” He bit sharp kisses along his neck. “But you’re too sore and sensitive right now. It’ll be too much. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  


“But I want you to.” Kelly shifted, turning in Nick’s grasp to look into his eyes, his fingers brushing over his face. “I want it to be too much. I’m yours, and I want you to take me. Just because you can. Just because you want to.” He rocked his hips, smiling at Nick’s quiet groan. “You’re so hard, you have to be _aching_.”

  


Nick’s fragile resolve was crumbling fast. He rolled them, pressing Kelly back into the mattress and forcing his legs apart. Kelly gasped, wincing, and Nick froze. “Kelly...” he murmured, shaking his head. 

  


“I’ll tell you if I need you to stop.” He promised him, tangling his fingers in his hair, and pulling him down for a kiss. “Take what you need.” He whispered against his lips. 

  


That fragile resolve was ground to dust, and Nick pulled one of Kelly’s legs up over his hip, and hooked the other over his shoulder. Then he grabbed Kelly’s wrists, pinning them to the pillow above his head with one hand. Wrapping the other hand -the same one that had been inside of him- around his husband’s throat, Nick sank his cock inside of him. 

  


Kelly wailed and bit down on his lip, not wanting to even accidentally tell him to stop. Nick groaned as he fucked him slowly. Even a bit more stretched as he was, he was still so hot and soft and _perfect_.

  


“I love you.” Nick murmured against Kelly’s ear as he squeezed his throat and began to fuck him harder, faster, with no goal beyond using his body to get himself off. 

  


Kelly could still breathe enough to tell him to stop, but all he did was cry out. Sobbing and moaning as his body was thrown into sensory overload.

  


Nick buried his cock as deep as he could, squeezing Kelly’s throat tighter as he licked into his mouth, kissing him roughly as he came inside him. 

  


The kiss grew gentle as Nick came down from the high of his orgasm, releasing his grip on Kelly’s throat and wrists. Slowly rubbing his arms and legs as he helped him into a more comfortable position. They both caught their breath, foreheads pressed together as they smiled against each other’s lips. 

  


“I love you.” Kelly whispered, voice wreaked and broken. Nick kissed him again, soft and almost worshipful. 

  


“I love you too.” He sat up, moving to pull Kelly into his lap, snuggled close against his chest. “Here.” He grabbed the water bottles from the nightstand as he switched off the camera, and they sat in comfortable silence, drinking their water, and lazily running their hands over whichever parts of each other they could reach. 

  


“So.” Kelly murmured. “Quick nap, and then you fuck me on the balcony?”

  


“Hmmm. I don’t know.”

  


“ _You don’t know?_ ” Kelly laughed, more amused than insulted. 

  


“Yeah. I was thinking, quick nap, then _you_ fuck _me_ in the jacuzzi tub, which gives us time for _me_ to fuck _you_ on the balcony as the sun comes up.”

  


“Oh, I love the way you think.”


	3. Chapter 3

The honeymoon was short, but perfect. Just the two of them. The whole world went away. They knew as soon as they got home, they would have to hit the ground running, so they made the most of every moment. 

  


Walking into The Liberty, arm in arm with Nick, as his husband, felt different than it had at their wedding reception. It was real now. Truly real. The wedding was the ceremony, the reception and honeymoon were the celebration. _Today_. Today was the first day of the rest of their lives. 

  


Their friends were with them. _Nick’s men_. That’s what they were now. His bodyguards. His henchmen. Kelly almost burst into giggles thinking about it. Liam was Nick’s lackey now. He managed to keep his cool as they made their way through the restaurant. 

  


Paddy greeted them both with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Kelly was almost certain that the man genuinely liked him. If he didn’t, he doubted they’d have gotten this far altogether. He wondered how much Nick told him, in regards to how much Kelly was to thank for Nick coming back into the fold. 

  


Julian and Cameron joined them at the table while Mikey, Preston, and Liam went to stand nearby. Right. Bodyguards. Maybe this would take more getting used to than he thought. 

  


There were five more people at the table that he didn’t know. All of them looking at him with curiosity and recognition. They hadn’t met, but they knew exactly who he was. Kelly was uncomfortably reminded of walking through Camp Lejune years ago; knowing the rumors and whispers surrounding him and his team. He had very mixed feelings about infamy. 

  


Nick had told him not to worry too much. To just relax, and enjoy the meal, and not feel like he had to engage where he wasn’t comfortable. He didn’t have to listen to, or talk to anyone. 

  


“So. This is the wife, then?” He heard one of the men ask Paddy, gesturing at Kelly. 

  


“ _Husband_.” Kelly responded, his tone dangerously clipped, but friendly. “I know the name can be confusing. Like Lindsey, or Evan, or Kim. There’s dozens of names people don’t realize are unisex.” 

  


He felt Nick take hold of his wrist under the table. Great. Five seconds and he was already babbling. It wasn’t his fault he was on edge. But he could control it. They had an impression to make. Kelly didn’t know these men, but he knew that Nick needed their respect. Which meant Kelly couldn’t risk embarrassing him. 

  


He focused on his food, letting the conversation buzz around him, listening and absorbing, filing everything away for future reference. He didn’t know this world or how it worked. He needed to learn. 

  


“So, how did you and Nicky meet?” Another one of the men asked. He looked as old as Chester Grady, and smelled like cabbage. He was eyeing Kelly with a look that could only be described as judgmental morbid curiosity.

  


“In the service.” Kelly answered proudly, straightening his shoulders. “I’m a Navy SARC. We served together on the same Force Recon team.”

  


“So you were like his field nurse?” The man chuckled, and Kelly could feel his face physically _twitch_. Nick squeezed his wrist as the man continued. “That’s almost sort of sweet. You see much of any real action, yourself?”

  


Kelly blinked away the red haze of rage in his vision as he tried to think of an answer that wouldn’t get him or Nick shot. 

  


“Corpsmen are different from your average medic.” Nick explained, his grip nearly cutting off the circulation to Kelly’s hand. “He was out in the field with us on every mission. Only reason any of us survived.” The pride in his husband’s voice went a long way to calm him, but he couldn’t help but notice a complete and total lack of reaction to the insult. 

  


“Right, right.” The man waved his hand, dismissively, as though it was an insignificant detail. “So, what do you do now?”

  


“I’m a counselor at a survival camp in the mountains.” Kelly tried to match Nick’s tone, finding it difficult. “At risk teens, mostly. Sort of a SERE training for civilians.” He forced a quiet laugh and took a sip of his wine. 

  


“Oh, he’s good with kids!” The man grinned. “That’s good! I suppose having your own will be a bit trickier than for normal folks.”

  


Kelly opened his mouth, only to snap it shut when he felt Nick’s fingernails dig sharply into his wrist. 

  


He heard a fork clink down on his other side, and Cameron’s voice muttering, “I swear, the fancier the restaurant, the harder it is to find the bathroom.” and a hand landed on his shoulder. “Kelly, do you know where it is?”

  


“I- what? Yeah. It’s, um...” Kelly shook his head, blinking rapidly as he tried to think about anything other than kicking that awful man in the face. 

  


“Could you show me? I just know I’ll get lost.” The calm, warm smile on his face brought Kelly back to reality a bit. He nodded, and stood, leading him towards the back with Preston following after them. 

  


Preston walked through the door ahead of them, and Cameron grabbed Kelly’s arm, making him wait outside with him for some reason, until Preston opened the door and nodded them in. 

  


Kelly braced his hands on the sink, gripping the counter so hard, his knuckles turned white. 

  


“You need to breathe.” Cameron’s calm, gentle voice told him. “This is just the beginning, and you can’t crack. Not in front of them.”

  


“What the fuck, man?!” Kelly finally managed. “I knew going in that people... The mafia isn’t known for its progressive tolerance, I get that. But I’m not even allowed to- I just sit there and smile and let them talk to me like that?”

  


“For now.” Preston said gently, leaning against the door. “Nick may be the boss’s son. But he’s also brand new and nobody beyond that.”

  


“Respect is earned. It takes time.”

  


“How do you know so much about it?” Kelly scoffed. “No offense, I just mean...”

  


Cameron chuckled and gave a sort of amused grimace. “My mother...” he drew out the word. “Was. Well.” He shrugged. “She had an older sister and two older brothers. Then another little sister and half brother. My grandfather loved all his children equally, but beyond her name, she didn’t have a leg to stand on.” 

  


“Wait. What? Wait.” Kelly stared at him, and Cameron laughed. “You- you’re... connected?”

  


“My _mother_ was connected. My _father_ owned a little restaurant that was about to go under until he made a deal to turn it into a front.” He sighed. “You think they respected him? The Southside Jewish boy who married the boss’s middle child? You wanna guess the kind of shit they said to him? Cuz I can promise you it was a lot worse than that.” He pointed out towards the direction they came from. 

  


“And your mom?” Kelly asked quietly, absorbing everything he was hearing. 

  


“She got what she wanted in the end.” He grinned. “She always did. Slowly. Little by little. She proved herself. Earned their respect. Made them take her seriously. Established herself. And within a year or two? She was my grandfather’s top enforcer. And. Well.” He cleared his throat and his smile turned sheepish. “Let’s just say there may be something to the idea of falling for people who remind you of your parents.”

  


“I learned all about your mother’s reputation.” Preston interjected. “Julian is a cuddly kitten compared to that woman.” He gave a little shudder, and Cameron just laughed. 

  


“Julian is a cuddly kitten compared to _his own_ reputation.” Cameron reminded him. 

  


“Where are they now?” Kelly asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer. Especially when Cameron grew somber again. 

  


“They died when I was eighteen. Nothing insidious. Just an accident. I was there. Black ice is a bitch.” He shrugged. 

  


“Car crash?” Kelly felt his blood go cold. “Mine too. I wasn’t with them though. And I was younger. Ten.” He chewed his lip. He didn’t want to be thinking about this right now. 

  


A damp paper towel was held in front of him, and he took it and rinsed off his face. He made himself presentable in the mirror, as he took slow deep breaths. 

  


“Did your father get their respect, too?”

  


“No. Not for the most part. But, in time, my mother’s reputation made the majority of them to scared to talk shit anymore. And for the ones who still decided to run their mouths, my father had enough of his own cachet as well as hers, to be able to cuss them out.”

  


“How long did _that_ take?”

  


“Longer than one dinner.”

  


When they got back to the table, Kelly was noticeably calmer. He didn’t like the way Nick barely acknowledged him when he sat down, but he also understood. 

  


“So, Cameron.” Paddy tilted his glass towards him as he spoke. “Have you given Donna an answer?”

  


“Not yet. But I _have_ made up my mind, so I’m going to call her in the morning.”

  


“ _And_? Don’t keep us in suspense, boy!” 

  


“I’m saying yes!” Cameron laughed. “Of course I am, how could I not? This place is amazing.”

  


“Saying yes to what?” Kelly asked him quietly. 

  


“The Liberty needs a new manager for the bar and restaurant end. Each one is run individually, but they need someone to oversee all of them together as well. Their last one just retired, and the hotel manager received a recommendation from my old boss.”

  


“That’s amazing!” Kelly took his wine glass and held it towards Cameron, who chuckled and tapped his own against it. “Congratulations.”

  


“Thank you.”

  


Kelly and Cameron kept to each other for the rest of the evening, while the others talked business. Neither of them ignored the conversation around them, making sure to know what was going on. But they didn’t try to join in either. 

  


Back at the Fiddler that night, Kelly felt more exhausted than he had after most PT exercises. 

  


“Well.” He grumbled as he undressed. “That was certainly... something.”

  


“Culture shock?” Nick asked softly, his face suddenly much more apologetic than it had been earlier. 

  


“I’ll adjust.” He sighed, unbuttoning his shirt. “It’s gonna get worse before it gets better, isn’t it?” He closed his eyes, tension bleeding from him as Nick slid his hands into his open shirt, pushing up his undershirt, and stroking his sides. 

  


“It’s temporary.” He promised, pressing a kiss to Kelly’s forehead. “We smile and play nice, play the game, and before you know it...”

  


“I’ll be able to tell them all to go fuck themselves?” Kelly nuzzled his nose under Nick’s jaw. 

  


“Eventually.” 

  


“In the meantime, how about you _you_ fuck _me_ until I’m not angry anymore?”

  


~*~

  


Kelly tried. He really did. He smiled and nodded. He bit his tongue and took it all. But some things were harder than others. 

  


“I get that you can’t argue with their bullshit, but do you have to laugh along and encourage them?!” Kelly was ranting as soon as they were home. Furious and exhausted. 

  


“Yes, Kels. I do.” Nick sighed. “I have to meet every standard these assholes have. It’s a balancing act, baby. They care less about me being queer, if I don’t _seem_ like what they think that means. The more I’m like them, the better off we are.”

  


“So... what? You have to seem as straight as possible, so I have to be...? Do you know what that squirrel faced asshole said to me this morning?”

  


“Do you mean Kyle?”

  


“Do you think I give a flying fuck what his name is?!”

  


“Kelly. Please.”

  


“He told me I should spend time with, and I quote, ‘the other wives’.” Kelly made air quotes with his fingers. “Because apparently, I’m your _wife_ now. Because being your husband is just too confusing for them, I guess. Apparently, marrying a man just automatically makes me a woman.”

  


“That’s not-“ Nick rubbed his face in frustration. “It’s the term, Kels. It’s more like a job title than an actual.... Someone married to a gangster, is a Mob Wife. Regardless of the genders involved.”

  


“That’s bullshit.”

  


“I know. But that’s just what the term is.”

  


“Seriously?! ‘Yeah, it’s homophobic sexist bullshit, but that’s just the way it is, so oh well’?” He knew he was being irrational, but he was exhausted from _not_ picking fights all day. 

  


“What do you want me to do about it?” Nick growled, officially done with this argument. “Even if I had _any_ say over how things are done, when it comes to homophobia and misogyny within organized crime, the term ‘Mob Wife’ isn’t exactly a crucial priority!”

  


Kelly deflated a bit, sighing heavily. “I’m sorry. I know I’m being marginally insane-“

  


“Marginally?” Nick’s lips quirked upwards. 

  


“Don’t sass me while I’m apologizing.” Kelly huffed, already smiling. “I might need some time to get used to this.” He admitted. 

  


~*~

  


A few days later, it was still bothering him. 

  


“Cameron? Did people call your dad a ‘mob wife’?”

  


“Hm? Oh. Yeah. All the time. That’s the term. It’s like when people call male flight attendants ‘stewardesses’ or female fire fighters ‘firemen’. Don’t male civilians get called ‘army wives’?”

  


“I mean... yeah, but...”

  


“There’s connotations, sure. There’s connotations with everything. But when a job is predominately skewed to one gender...” he waved his hand in the air in a vague gesture.

  


“Did it ever bother him?”

  


“Not really. He said it was only demeaning if you considered being equated to women as an insult.” He shrugged. “They also referred to my mom as a mafioso and a wiseguy. We’re mob wives, that’s the title. Not a big deal, just is what it is.”

  


Kelly sat with that for a moment, before deciding the entire topic was ridiculous. 

  


“I should get to know them though. The other........ spouses.”

  


“We’re having lunch with two of them later today.” Though his tone was casual, the slight smirk on Cameron’s face betrayed how much he was enjoying this. “They’re excited to meet you. Apparently, one of them is an ER nurse, and she wants to talk shop with someone who actually knows what she’s talking about.”

  


~*~

  


Cameron and the girls made things easier. Preston was often nearby as well, and while he mostly stuck to his role as silent invisible bodyguard, it was just nice to have someone around who saw him how he saw himself. 

  


Nick, and by extension, Julian and Liam, had impressions to make and things to prove. When they were out and about, there was a certain level of indifference paid to him. Dismissal. These men had fought wars by his side and now they acted like he was some.... 

  


Preston didn’t do that. He stayed close to Kelly and Cameron, and maybe no one else would notice, but Cameron was the only one he was really protecting. There was an instinctive way about him that showed his trust in Kelly’s ability to take care of himself. 

  


It wasn’t that they equated him with a woman. It was that they saw him the way _they_ saw women. Which also annoyed him. These men treated their wives like decorations or pets. Like children. The ones that had any respect or power with their husbands had clearly fought and bargained for it. And their husbands were either at the very top, or the very bottom of the pecking order. 

  


“Are you ready to go home?” Kelly leaned over, murmuring in Nick’s ear. They’d been at the bar all night, after wrapping up some business there earlier in the evening. Kelly was exhausted, cold, and too drunk to smile and nod at the smarmy bastards who responded with ‘that’s nice, sweetheart’ every time he opened his mouth. 

  


“What’s the matter, Nicky?” One of them laughed. “Your girl gettin sleepy?”

  


“Just tired of your bullshit.” Kelly grumbled under his breath. 

  


“We’ll head out in a bit.” Nick promised. 

  


“Nick. I wanna go home.” Kelly couldn’t curb his aggravation, prompting a few jeers and mocking whip noises from the others. 

  


“Nicky’s in trouble!” One called out. 

  


“We’ll head out in a bit.” Nick repeated, more annoyed this time. Firmer. Like he was putting his foot down. Like Kelly was some impatient whiney child. 

  


“Tell ya what,” Kelly stood and grabbed his jacket. “I’ll have Preston take me home, and you can keep enjoying your evening.”

  


“Kels...” Nick reached for him, but he pulled away. 

  


“Goodnight, _Nicky._ ” He bit out as he stomped off, waving Preston over. 

  


The younger man didn’t say anything as he drove Kelly back to the marina. When he opened the door for him- something Kelly was still getting used to- he gave him a concerned sort of look. “Do you want some company?” He asked quietly. “I can make tea.”

  


“No, thank you, I’m just gonna go to bed.” Kelly sighed, offering a weak smile. “Thank you Preston.” 

  


“Of course, sir. Sleep well.”

  


~*~

  


It was still dark when Kelly woke to the sounds of Nick shuffling around the room. 

  


“I should make you sleep on the couch.” He grumbled, rolling over to face away from him. 

  


“Don’t gimme that shit. Do you really have to throw a hissy fit every time- _Fuck!”_ The sound of Nick’s phone clattering to the floor was accompanied by more shuffling and angry muttering. 

  


“You know what?” Kelly sat up. “ _I’m_ gonna go sleep on the couch. You smell like that bar, and I can’t deal with your shit right now.”

  


As he tried to get out of bed, he was shoved back onto it. He pushed back half-heartedly, still pissed off, but hoping Nick was planning to apologize. He ended up on his back, with Nick pinning him by his shoulders. The small part of him that wasn’t consumed with anger, relished in the feeling of his husband on top of him. 

  


“Why do you have to act like such a bitch?” Nick growled, shaking his head. “You keep blowing shit out of proportion and it’s not doing _either of us_ any favors. This was all your goddamn idea!”

  


“My idea was to be your _partner_. To be by your side, us doing this _together_. But all you’re doing is sidelining me!”

  


“It’s not safe yet! We’ll get there. _I’ll_ get us there. But for now, you _have got_ to-“

  


“Sit quiet and smile pretty, while your new friends treat me like shit?” Kelly spit out. “While _you_ laugh and let them?”

  


He tried to push Nick away, but the hands on his shoulders just moved to grab his wrists, pinning them to the bed. The move caused his whole body to shift, drunkenly wobbling on his knees, shoving Kelly’s legs further apart as he pressed down closer against him. 

  


Kelly’s body reacted on instinct. Spreading his legs as his skin flushed, his head tipping back. No matter how pissed off he was, Nick always felt good on top of him. And a voice in the back of his head whispered that he _liked_ the gruff asshole routine. Being manhandled and growled at.

  


It wasn’t Nick’s dominance that bothered him. He’d always loved that. It was the implication that his submission made him less than. Feeling like he lost some of Nick’s respect somewhere along the way. 

  


“Come on, _Nicky_.” He hissed. “They all think I’m just your bitch. You wanna be the big strong man? Show me. Show me how Nicky Whelan fucks his wife.”

  


It wasn’t fair. He knew that. But things weren’t fair to either of them. Kelly was exhausted and angry, and horny. And he knew that Nick was frustrated and drunk, and horny. This wasn’t something they could settle rationally. So, why not settle it their way?

  


“That what you want, baby?” Nick released him long enough to get rid of the rest of their clothing. Then he was back, pinning Kelly’s wrists above his head with one hand, grabbing his hair with the other. “You wanna be my bitch?”

  


Kelly shuddered with rage and arousal. “Might as well-” his reply was cut off as Nick jerked his head back, _hard_. 

  


“You can start by shutting your fucking mouth.” Nick’s teeth were sharp against Kelly’s throat, sucking a mark into his skin, too high to cover. Kelly squirmed, and tried to pull his hands free. “Stay still.” 

  


“Fuck you!” By the time Kelly’s brain registered the fact that Nick had just slapped him across the face, his body had already decided that it enjoyed that. But, his dick being on board didn’t mean he wasn’t gonna give him shit for it later. 

  


“I’ve given you everything you’ve asked for.” Nick’s voice was dark and dangerous. 

  


Kelly couldn’t see his eyes in the dark, but he could just make out the strained look on his face. As if part of him was already regretting the slap, but a bigger part of him wanted to do it again. 

  


Kelly had no doubt that if he called Nick out on it now, he would get up and apologize. He’d slink off to the couch in shame, and Kelly would fall asleep alone, and nothing would get settled. 

  


Fuck that. 

  


“Then give it to me, already!” He snarled. 

  


Nick fucked him like he was trying to break him. Like he _owned_ him. Which, to be fair, he did. Kelly wasn’t sure which was spurring Nick on more, his cries of pleasure, or the ones of pain. He could feel his orgasm building as Nick chased after his own. He wondered if Nick would even bother making sure he got off too. Which was a relatively moot point. Because the moment the thought crossed his mind, Nick thrust deep inside him, one hand squeezing his throat, and Kelly was over the edge all on his own. 

  


Drunk as he was, Nick took longer to find release. Kelly wondered if he would notice if Kelly fell asleep. If he would stop. He shivered at the idea of waking up sore and leaking, knowing his husband used him in his sleep. 

  


He’d examine that thought and response later. 

  


After Nick finished, Kelly haphazardly cleaned them off and retrieved the blanket. 

  


“Kels...”

  


“We’ll talk in the morning.”

  


“Am I a monster?” The question was so quiet, Kelly almost didn’t hear it, even inches away. 

  


“You’re _my_ monster. Now shut up and go to sleep.”

  


They didn’t talk in the morning.


End file.
